This invention relates to feeding of yarn to textile machinery and processes, and in particular, to an improved yarn creel which feeds weft yarn from yarn packages to an associated yarn accumulator and/or loom and accommodates an increased number of yarn packages while providing a relatively straight in-line yarn delivery path in which yarn bends and changes in direction are minimized.
Yarn creels are known in the art which support yarn packages upon which yarn is wound for delivery to an associated textile machine such as a loom. The previous yarn creels have been provided in various horizontal and vertical arrangements. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,693,904 and 4,450,876 disclose a horizontal arrangement of yarn packages arranged in pairs for supplying an associated loom. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,236,265; 4,358,068; and 4,648,564 disclose vertical arrangements of yarn packages arranged in pairs for feeding associated textile machinery such as looms. By tying the two packages together, an empty package may be replaced with a full package while the remaining package feeds the loom. In this manner, a rather continuous feed of yarn is provided.
With the advent of higher speed looms, the arrangement of two yarn packages tied together has become increasingly insufficient to supply the loom, and creels with arrangements of four yarn packages tied together have been provided. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,547 discloses a creel commonly known as a "carousel" creel which includes four yarn packages arranged horizontally and tied together. However, in this type of creel, the yarn must undergo several changes in direction as it is fed from the horizontal yarn packages to the loom, or other associated machinery such as a yarn accumulator. Each time that the yarn changes its direction, particularly sharply, the chances of a yarn break are greatly increased because of the increased tension resulting from increased angles. Yarn breaks cause interruption in the textile process or machinery. Yarn breaks also result in defects in fabric being woven on a loom. Modern high speed looms feed yarn up to 1800 meters per minute. The size of the yarn packages which can be provided and supported on a creel, and hence amount of yarn, is limited due to practicalities such as weight and space occupied by the package. Typically, yarn packages of up to 12" in diameter are utilized. Accordingly, the provision of creels holding large number of yarn packages for feeding yarn to high speed looms so that the changes in direction of the yarn are minimized during yarn delivery is a problem to which considerable attention may be given.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved yarn creel for feeding yarn at high speeds with a minimum of yarn breakage.
Another object of the invention is to provide an improved yarn creel for feeding yarn at high speeds from multiple packages wherein the bends occurring in the delivery path of yarn are minimized.
Another object of the invention is to provide a yarn creel for supporting multiple, large packages of yarn in a vertical arrangement which delivers the yarn in a path which is generally in-line with the yarn accumulator and/or loom to which the yarn is fed so that the bends in the yarn delivery path are minimized.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a highly versatile yarn creel having an in-line yarn delivery path to associated textile machinery which can be easily reconfigured to feed from one to four colors of yarn to an associated textile machine.